Allen Webster

Topic(s): Eternity & Judgment, Pain & Suffering, Prayer, Sin

Links to this entire series:

• A Hopeless, Helpless, Hapless Man: Part 1
• A Hopeless, Helpless, Hapless Man: Part 2
• A Hopeless, Helpless, Hapless Man: Part 3

“There is nothing we can do.” Those blood-chilling words have been gently uttered in many a hospital conference room to many a stone-quiet family by many a disheartened physician (cf. Mark 5:26; Luke 8:43). Perhaps the two saddest words in human language are: “No hope.”

In their wake, our emotions run the gamet—disbelief, denial, frustration, anger, infuriation, helplessness, depression—as we try to make our peace with it. Still, we are not without comforters. We likely have some time to enjoy the relationship and say what we might not otherwise have gotten around to saying. We have friends. We have family members to love and be loved by. We can pray. We can hope for a heavenly reunion.

Jesus told of a truly hopeless, helpless, hapless man. The Rich Man in Hades desperately needed relief but couldn’t get it.

His situation was hopeless because requests from hell are never answered. Cell phone users have become accustomed to “dead spots” and “Can-you-hear-me-nows.” There are some places where you just can’t get reception. You might be in a life and death situation, but a phone is useless if a message can’t get out.
The rich man had hit the ultimate dead spot. His meter didn’t register a single bar. As far as I can tell this rich man has been waiting nineteen hundred eighty-three years, and has not received that trickle of moisture.

Why was the rich man’s prayer not answered?

It was not because it was an unscriptural prayer. Both of his prayers were scriptural. He first prayed a supplication prayer for himself. He asked Abraham to have mercy on him and allow Lazarus to bring him some comfort (16:23-26). There was nothing wrong with making such a request. The Bible instructs us to make “supplication” to God (1 Timothy 2:1) for such things as “our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). A needy person can continue “in supplications and prayers night and day” (1 Timothy 5:5).

The rich man’s second prayer was an intercessory petition for his brothers. He asked that Lazarus go back and talk to them about the salvation of their souls (16:27-28). Intercessory prayers for sinners usually meet with God’s favor. Abraham prayed for Lot’s family when they too were heading toward a fiery end (Genesis 18:23-32). Samuel “cried unto the LORD all night” for a sinner named Saul (1 Samuel 15:11). Jeremiah “stood before God” to turn away His wrath from sinners (Jeremiah 18:20). Paul’s “. . . prayer to God for Israel” was “that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1). We are to use “all means” to save the lost, which would certainly include praying for them (1 Corinthians 9:22). Samuel thought it was a sin not to pray for others: “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).

It was not because it was an impossible request. On earth, many people have had similar prayers answered. They’ve been granted relief to pain—sometimes by the hand of someone like Lazarus (a doctor, friend, family member). God’s promise to reward one who gives a “cup of cold water” to one in need (Matthew 10:42) is the perfect parallel to this story. Others have seen those they loved dearly go through circumstances or meet with people that turned their hearts toward heaven (sometimes the timely crossing of paths with a “Lazarus,” cf. Acts 8:31; Philemon 15).

It was not because it lacked fervency. This was no ritualistic-now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep petition, but a desperate-blood-sweat-and-tears-I’m-on-fire-right-now! plea. The “effectual fervent” prayer “availeth much” on earth (James 5:16), but not in hell.
Abraham gave two reasons why Lazarus could not bring the requested comfort. First, the rich man had “had his reward” (Luke 16:25 ; cf. Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). A modern way to express this is that one cannot “have his cake and eat it to.” The rich man had “eaten his cake” by selfishly living for the “good things” of earth. Having chosen a “cheap heaven” here, he could hardly expect to have the real heaven there (cf. Job 20:5; Luke 12:19-20; James 5:5; Revelation 18:7). Those that are “rich” (live only for this world) “have received their consolation” (Luke 6:24). The rich man was like those David described as having “their portion in this life” (Psalm 17:14). Paul described them as having made their “belly” (earthly comforts) their “god” (supreme goal in life). Like the rich man, their “end is destruction” (Philippians 3:19).

Second, Lazarus could not leave his place of comfort and make even a brief visit to the place of torment. In the beginning of the story, the rich man and Lazarus were separated by a gate, but by the end of the story they are separated by a gulf. Lazarus could have stepped through a gate, but he could not step across a gulf. Nothing would be allowed to intrude on Lazarus’ bliss. C.S. Lewis wrestled with this question in his book The Great Divorce: Will those in heaven be grieved by their awareness of the end of the wicked? He concluded that evil, not good, would be the victor if evil could intrude into heaven’s joys. Once a person gets to Hades, there will be nothing anyone can do to help him/her.

It is interesting that the rich man learned to pray in hell. We think of people learning to pray as children at a family devotional, or in Vacation Bible School or Bible class, or perhaps an adult learning how to pray by hearing others in a church service, but not in hell! Sinners may scoff at prayer now, but there will come a time when they will pray! There are no atheists in foxholes and, there are no prayer-less sinners in hell. But since hell is God-forsaken, the omnipresent God is not there to listen as one screams, begs, pleads, and sobs for mercy. Oh, the desperation of one whom God “answereth no more” (1 Samuel 28:6, 15; cf. Ezekiel 20:1-3)!

Part 2